Shaedo K : says, "The very idea of faith is absurd to me."

We believe in many things we can't see. We see the effects of the wind, but the wind is invisible. We have records of history, but it is by "faith" that we believe that certain historical events have happened. Radio waves are invisible, though an antenna and receiver can detect their presence. Likewise, everyone has a "receiver," but unless we are plugged into the life of God, we aren't fully aware of the invisible spiritual realm.

If it is absurd to be plugged into the life of God, I've read somewhere a story about a lamp. One moment it was dark, then the switch was turned on. The lamp surrendered itself to the electrical current and light filled the room. The lamp didn't lose anything when it surrendered itself to the current. On the contrary -- the very thing happened for which the lamp was created: it gave light.

geeogree : Just because two things are not mutually exclusive does not mean they are the same. One can be an agnostic and religious, but agnosticism itself is not a religion.

Traduweise :

"it -could- be a religion.... but it wouldn't be much of one."

yeah....

geeogree : No, it can't be a religion, because a religion in the most basic sense is a system of beliefs partly or entirely supernatural in nature. The important thing about agnosticism is it is not a belief, much less a system of beliefs.

Traduweise : Define belief... are you not believing that you don't have a belief?

tRIUNE : You are making no sense. Agnosticism is a matter of knowledge, not belief.

Traduweise : I meant that agnosticism is a belief that there is no evidence to prove or disprove God's existence.

It's a standpoint that you don't know for certain, but that in itself is a belief, because you can't know for certain.

As far as it being a religion, you could technically call it one, though it's not commonly referred to as one .

tRIUNE : You still don't understand what agnosticism is. It is a view concerning the world. It is not a belief, and certainly not a religion.

Here's the definition from Merriam-Webster.

1 : a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable; broadly : one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god
2 : a person unwilling to commit to an opinion about something

Agnosticism is a matter of knowledge, not belief. Even if you insist that it is a "belief" that one cannot know something, that "belief" is no more a religious belief than my belief that my computer exists. Agnosticism is a religion like apathy is a political ideology.

Further, even if you keep insisting agnosticism does involve belief, a religion is not a single belief. It is an entire system of beliefs. Agnosticism can never be a religion, not technically, not in theory, not in practice.

wow... if this thread had a point I would get it back on track... but it's really been a pointless jumble of attempted responses that mostly make no sense...

I'm gonna close this so we don't waste any more time arguing about what can and can't be a religion.... as if one of us can decide that for any one else.